Technology related blog with posts on iPhone, iPad, Flex, Java and various other things that cross my path.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Funny Directions

This is a funny thing I came across this morning while trying to find the nearest FedEx location. Basically it is one block right down the street from the start point, but because Boston is insane with one way streets, the actual driving directions literally go a round-about way. Here are the directions and the map. Also note the message the post at the bottom about a reality check.

Estimated travel time: 4 minutes for 0.88 miles of travel. 1. Begin on Summer St and go Southeast for 200 feet2. Turn right on Hawley St and go Southwest for 40 feet 3. Turn left on Summer St and go Southeast for 300 feet 4. Turn left on Arch St and go Northeast for 900 feet5. Turn left on Milk St and go West for 300 feet6. Turn right on Washington St and go Northeast for 700 feet7. Turn left on Court St and go West for 400 feet8. Turn left on Tremont St and go Southwest for 500 feet9. Turn left on School St and go Southeast for 300 feet10. Turn right on Province St and go Southwest for 400 feet11. Turn left on Bromfield St and go Southeast for 200 feet12. Turn left on Washington St and go Northeast for 140 feet

NOTE: Like any driving directions/map you should always do a reality check and make sure the roads still exist, watch out for construction, and follow all traffic safety precautions. This is only to be used as an aid in planning.

The most common parent rock for slate is shale, a relatively soft sedimentary rock. But, the volcanic rock basalt or some other fine-grained rock can also metmorphose into slate. As shale becomes deeply buried its clay minerals neomorphose into chlorite and muscovite mica crystals. These crystals fuse together forming a denser and harder rock that has planes of weakness, called cleavage, formed due to the flattening of the crystals perpendicular to the directions of pressure. Simultaneoulsy, the pressure causes the rock to fracture along shear planes, forming slaty cleavage along which slate will readily split. Note that slate is a low-grade metamorphic rock, formed due to relatively low pressure and temperature conditions. Big slabs of slate have been used as chalkboards in the past, and can still be seen in the Alps as shingles on the roofs of houses. Smaller pieces of slate work well as skipping stones on a lake.